When it comes to video games, a lot of players prefer the 90s, as that’s when a lot of classics were born. Doom, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Super Mario World, and the list goes on. What about the games that came after the golden period, which was the 80s and 90s in the 20th century?
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January 1, 2001, was the official start to the 21st century, and it will continue until December 31, 2100, which is a hard time frame to imagine. The century is a quarter of the way through, so let’s go ahead and see what games have been the best so far that undeniably helped shape video games across a wide array of genres. These games will be ranked based on their overall quality, how well they hold up, and their cultural significance in how they pushed gaming forward.
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty
A Stealth Playground
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
- Released
- November 13, 2001
WHERE TO PLAY
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is peak stealth perfection on the PS2, which gave players two playgrounds to test their limits. In the first chapter, players can explore a ship with Solid Snake, and while short, there’s plenty to experiment with, from holding up guards to get their dog tags to shooting watermelons to test the physics engine.
In the second chapter, players got to control Raiden, and his research facility was much larger. As a Hideo Kojima game, it’s still surprising to see what he was able to do so early in the PS2’s life cycle.
Halo: Combat Evolved
Consoles Get Their Doom
Halo: Combat Evolved
- Released
- November 15, 2001
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Violence
- Genre(s)
- FPS
Halo: Combat Evolved did for console shooters what Doom did for PC shooters. Bungie managed to make a first-person shooter feel comfortable on a console, the original Xbox, while also giving players a badass hero to root for: Master Chief.
Some levels were constrained, but many of them were also open and gave players plenty of weapons and vehicles to check out. Decades later, Halo: Combat Evolved is still fun alone or in co-op to bust through in a weekend.
Minecraft
Building A Life
Minecraft
- Released
- November 18, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence
- Genre(s)
- Sandbox, Survival
Minecraft is, without a doubt, the game that everyone has played or is the easiest to check out and play without much of a barrier. There is no story that will take hours to set up, and the gameplay can be picked up relatively easily.
Simply punch the dirt and dig, or punch a tree and start building things. With a family-friendly vibe, a simple interface, and its availability being almost everywhere, this might be the most video gamey video game of all time, and it’s a hard one to put down.
Half-Life 2
Elevated Storytelling
Half-Life 2
- Released
- November 16, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
Half-Life 2 is not the most fun shooter of all time, as killing enemies is not really the point, unlike Halo: Combat Evolved. Instead, this is a world that Valve expertly crafted to tell a story of a dystopian society and a resistance trying to fight back.
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There are no epic cutscenes either, as everything is told in-game, and it still hits all of those highs today, even though video games have evolved since. The open areas and loose structure to the puzzles were also a highlight, and anyone who wants a cool atmospheric shooter, this game is near the top.
Elden Ring
FromSoftware Does It Again
Elden Ring
- Released
- February 25, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
If beginners want to check out one action-based Soulslike to challenge themselves, Elden Ring is it. While it’s still hard like most FromSoftware games, the open world is big enough to let players tackle it at their own pace. If one area is too hard between normal enemies or bosses, then they can go elsewhere.
Also, if the concept is just too much to understand, then players can always invite two of their friends to join, who perhaps are more well-versed on the genre, who can show them the ropes and get them hooked on why the game is so captivating.
Persona 5
Protect Your Mind Palace
Persona 5
- Released
- September 15, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
Persona 5 is a game to play over a long period as not to burn out because the pacing can be a challenge. The day-to-day structure is also why fans dig it, along with the dungeon-crawling, dating mechanics, and the turn-based battle system.
Because the game takes place over a few months, it allows players to get to know every character intimately, so much so that it can be hard to let go after a hundred hours. It’s not for everyone, but JRPG fans know it to be a crown jewel that will easily stand the test of time.
Super Mario Galaxy
To Infinity And Beyond
Super Mario Galaxy
- Released
- November 1, 2007
- ESRB
- E For Everyone due to Mild Cartoon Violence
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo
- Genre(s)
- 3D Platformer
- Platform(s)
- Wii, Nintendo Wii U
Super Mario Galaxy was like the second coming of Super Mario 64 that Mario fans didn’t get on the GameCube. It proved that Nintendo was still full of inventive ideas that no one else could seemingly ever think of trying in a platformer.
The first time players got to literally run around small planets or asteroids was a thing of wonder on the Wii, and now it’s even better with the remaster on the Switch 2. Super Mario Galaxy 2 is equally good, which added Yoshi, but this original is still 3D platforming at its best.
Resident Evil 4
Leon Returns
Resident Evil 4
- Released
- January 11, 2005
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
By 2005, almost a decade after Resident Evil began, the brand was starting to feel too much of the same thing time and time again. That’s why Resident Evil 4 hit harder than most sequels because it offered fans something new for the franchise, and it pushed not only the horror genre forward, but third-person action games as a whole.
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The game saw the return of Leon S. Kennedy; the controls were not tank-based, there was an inventory system that didn’t require a storage box, and the setting was different, involving parasitic villages somewhere in Europe. While it’s not a classic zombie tale, it is, without a doubt, the best game in the series, from its gameplay hooks to its story.
Baldur's Gate 3
Tactical Choices
Baldur's Gate 3
- Released
- August 3, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, macOS
Baldur's Gate 3 is to tactical RPG fans as Persona 5 is to turn-based JRPG fans. They are both pinnacles of the genre, but the added bonus of Baldur's Gate 3 is the staggering amount of choices that make all other RPGs seem hollow by comparison.
There’s a compelling character creator, challenging tactical gameplay, and a dialogue system that branches for days. This should be what all Dungeons & Dragons games should be like, or what a good tabletop campaign should strive to be.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
A Whole New Hyrule
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Released
- March 3, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has it all, and it will be a rare day when Nintendo manages to hit this height again with a Zelda title. The openness of Hyrule was unbelievable, along with how little the game held the hands of players compared to most 3D Zelda games.
Beyond the franchise, it was also an evolution for open-world games as a whole with its stamina-based climbing feature, physics-based puzzles, and paraglider. Alongside the launch of the Switch console, which also revolutionized video games, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the perfect poster child for the first quarter of this century.